Thursday: 3rd Annual Kiddie Scoop Ball Drop

Courtesy/Charmery

Courtesy/Charmery

Dec. 31

When I was a little annoying kid, one of my favorite things about New Year's Eve was feeling like I was getting one over on the adults and staying up late. But really, my super-cool grandmother just let me stay up to see the ball drop and all the rest. And then once it dropped, we'd run outside and bang on pots and pans and yell "Happy New Year" for a few minutes. But not all adults are as cool as the ones that raised me and I get that, so if you're of the more responsible sort, take your little annoying kid over to the Charmery on New Year's Eve where there is a kind of early-bird mock countdown and ball drop at 8 p.m. in which kids can ring in the New Year with a milk jug ball and some sparkling cider (my grandparents let us sneak in some sips of champagne, too, but hey). 8 p.m., The Charmery, 801 W. 36th St., (410) 814-0493, thecharmery.com, free. (Brandon Soderberg)